It would be very cool for you guys to subscribe. I really wanna do these and wanna make it more accessible for everyone. You're gonna learn a lot of things about Portuguese, Portuguese people, culture, food, all of this.

I already have another video prepared that it's going to be a preview of Bougie Portuguese, which is my official newsletter where I talk about Portugues over coffee, wine, whatever you wanna drink, and I have an interview with one of my friends that is also learning Portuguese with me and she's been away for sometime so we're gonna review a few things with her. That being said subscribe because then you'll have a notification for when the video will come out.

Now, don't have very high expectations because for now, I still don't have enough time to create everything as much as I wanted to, thus me recording a lot of things that can be automated and creating Casa Portuguesa because then I can dedicate more time creating all of this content and also spend time with you guys one on one or even I'm in groups so that you can all ask your questions and make the best use of all of our time.

On that and talking about Casa Portugues. As a lot of you guys asked me to create the courses for the B1 and B2 and it's official now I've opened the waitlist and you will be able to sign up with an early bird discount in the same way that I did before I really appreciate all of the support that I had because we were able to get 20 people into Casa Portuguesa and the reviews and everything have been amazing.

I'm very happy to know that it is indeed making a difference and that you guys are feeling happy with the membership.

B1-B2 waitlist

If you're not part of Casa Portuguesa, I'm going to drop the link below so that you could also go and explore a little bit about it and you get a 7 day trial so that you can see if it suits you! I'm planning on sending something once a week so you can expect an email from me about once a week.

Explore Casa Portuguesa

And suddenly ordering coffee becomes a grammar lesson.

Here’s the truth: You don’t need 47 ways. You need ONE. “Queria um café.” That’s it. You say it. You get your coffee. Done.

But learners are terrified of that simplicity. Because simple feels like you don’t know. Like you’re not smart enough. So you add complexity to prove you’re serious. You add “gostava de” instead of “queria.” You add “podia dar-me” instead of just asking. You layer in politeness markers that are not even used in real Portuguese.

And you know what happens? Portuguese people know immediately that you’re not native. Not because you didn’t sound fancy enough. Because you sounded like you were trying.

Here’s the thing about Portuguese: We oversimplify. Sometimes to our demise, yeah. But that’s how we actually talk. Simple & Direct. When you add complexity, you’re waving a flag that says “I learned this in a textbook.”

Confidence sounds like simplicity. Trying sounds like overcomplexity.

So stop memorizing 300 ways to say things. Learn the one way that works. Use it until you’re comfortable. THEN variety comes naturally. But you don’t earn variety by studying more variations. You earn it by actually using the language without overthinking.

Order your coffee. Sound simple. Sound confident. That’s how you actually sound native.

Com café e caos,

Catarina Bento

Here’s what I see: You learned how to study in 1980. Grammar drills. Conjugation tables. Memorization. Your brain got really good at that system. So good that it’s now your only system. And now I’m asking you to learn differently — to listen first, to speak messy, to be wrong in front of people — and your brain is like “absolutely not.”

Because you already survived one traumatic teaching system. You don’t want to do it again.

Plus, there’s this perfectionism thing. You spent 60 years getting good at things. You have standards. You don’t want to sound stupid. So you’d rather not try than try and fail. And I get it. But that’s not a memory problem. That’s a control problem.

And then there’s the habits. You’ve been studying languages one way for decades. Your brain is wired for that way. Breaking a 40-year habit isn’t about memory — it’s about rewiring. And that takes intention. That takes being willing to be uncomfortable.

So when people ask me “isn’t it harder to learn after 60?” I tell them the truth: It’s not harder because your brain is older. It’s harder because your brain is convinced it already knows how to learn. And unlearning is actually harder than learning from scratch.

The good news? Once you know that, you can change it. You can give yourself permission to be bad. You can let go of control and be guided. You can build new study habits, even if the old ones are 60 years deep.

That’s the shift. Not memory. Mindset.

Com café e caos,

Catarina Bento

I know that silence. I’ve stood in it in Italian, in Korean, in French and all the other languages i’ve learned, watching people’s faces shift from listening to wondering whether they should help. And here’s the thing nobody tells you about that moment: it isn’t really about the language. It’s about what happens to your sense of yourself when the version of you that exists in that language is younger, clumsier, and far less articulate than the version you know you actually are. You’ve spent years building a person who can argue, joke, comfort, persuade — and then you open your mouth in Portuguese and that whole person goes missing. What’s left feels like a rough draft of you or even a 3 year old portuguese version of you. And it is terrifying to be witnessed like that.

I think this is the part that actually breaks people, more than grammar ever does. Not the conjugations. The identity hit. The quiet, “humiliating” math of I am intelligent and capable in my own language, so why does this feel like proof that I’m not. I’ve watched students go quiet not because they didn’t know the word, but because the gap between who they are and who they sound like in that moment was too loud to push through.

Here’s the reframe, and I want you to actually sit with it instead of skimming past it: that silence isn’t evidence of anything. It’s not a verdict on your intelligence, your effort, or your potential. It’s just what happens when a brain that’s used to full access suddenly has to build sentences from a much smaller toolbox, in real time, while being watched. That’s not a flaw in you. That’s just what acquisition feels like from the inside, every single time, for every single person who has ever done this.

You’re allowed to be a rough draft out loud. You’re allowed to stop mid-sentence and start again, badly, in front of someone. The fluent version of you isn’t being hidden by your own incompetence — it just hasn’t been built yet, and it only gets built in exactly the moments you’re tempted to go quiet. So the shift isn’t “stop being afraid.” It’s smaller than that: the next time you freeze, finish the sentence anyway. Wrong words and all. Let it be ugly. Ugly and finished beats silent and perfect every time.

I normally say that we all regrow when we learn a language. I’m all different ages in my languages: I’m 20 in English, 5 in hindi, 8 in French, maybe 3 in korean… and I really don’t care. in the same way I would not expect a child to be person once she/he says mom, dad, hello… I would not expect that of me when i’m learning a language. It’s just very unreasonable. And you should not either. You should be proud of yourself because you got yourself into a fun humbling experience that will give you a new skill to get to know a whole new culture and way of thinking! and the fun is in that :D

Let me know what languages you are learning and your language years!

If I had to summarise the trip, it would be: rest, a cocktail of languages, and adventures that were far more fun than they had any right to be. I’d studied Italian back in 2019, when the plan was an internship in Modena with a chef I’d been dying to learn from. Covid had other plans, and the Italian got packed away in the trunk, gathering dust along with everything else from that year. So when Naples finally happened, regaining it became the unofficial mission of the trip. Did it work? Not exactly as planned — it was frustrating, funny, exhausting — but by the end my Italian wasn’t just back, it had picked up a Neapolitan accent along the way.

Here’s how I think I got there. I have an unfair advantage: being Portuguese while also speaking Spanish and French turns out to be exactly the cocktail Neapolitan rewards. It got thrown at me from every direction, to the point where I genuinely wasn’t sure which language I was pulling from in a given moment — I just knew I understood it. But the rule I held onto the whole trip was simple: speak Italian, never fall back to Portuguese or English, no matter how hard that got. It helped that most people around me didn’t speak English at all, and the ones who did were patient about it anyway. Though honestly, patient or not wouldn’t have mattered — I’m stubborn, and if I’ve decided I’m speaking Italian, I’m speaking Italian.

By day seven my brain was fried. But I’d learned something about the language that mattered more than vocabulary: I already knew its structure. So every new word I picked up, I could use immediately — that’s the actual secret. Get the structure first, before you’ve hoarded three hundred thousand words, and suddenly any word someone throws at you slots straight into a sentence. Sparse, maybe. But with style. It’s why my Korean — limited, because my memory for vocabulary is genuinely bad — still lets me roast someone the second I learn the right word. No hesitation, no translating first. You can start small and still communicate like you mean it. That’s the whole method, really. Structure before volume.

That trip reminded me why I started doing this work in the first place — so that none of you lose your Portuguese, or your nerve to practise it, just because you’re not standing on Portuguese soil. If that’s something you’ve been quietly worrying about, come join the free community. We’ve got study and speaking sessions running with people chasing exactly the same thing you are.

I’ll talk to you next week.

Com café e caos,
Catarina

Join Casa Portuguesa Community

It’s been a while — so let me catch you up.

Since you signed up, I’ve been heads-down building Casa Portuguesa: a full system for learning European Portuguese that actually works for adults who don’t have hours a day to “study.”

But there was a gap I kept hearing about. Even people who’ve done courses, apps, everything — still freeze the moment a real conversation starts. Because understanding Portuguese and speaking it are two completely different skills. And the second one only improves with reps. With people. Out loud.

So I opened the community for anyone learning European Portuguese, beginners included.

Inside, you can:

• Ask anything — grammar doubts, “is this normal?”, all of it

• Connect with other learners and set up your own speaking sessions, whenever works for you

• Find study partners and arrange sessions together

• Be in a space where mistakes are normal, not embarrassing

No pitch attached to this one — it’s free, and it’s open.

If you’ve been meaning to get back into Portuguese but didn’t know where to start (or stopped because it felt too solo), this is probably the easiest way back in.

Join Casa Portuguesa Community

Com café e caos,
Catarina

P.S. — If you do join and later want the structured side (lessons, the Bento Box Method, The Speaking Club, everything that gets you from “I understand” to “I can actually say this”), members get a special rate into Casa Portuguesa. But that’s for another day — for now, just come say olá.

Hoje no Speaking Club nós falámos sobre o que é o 10 de junho. Se também estás curioso, isto é para ti.

Há dias no calendário que existem apenas como pausas obrigatórias — um dia de folga que ninguém sabe bem porquê. E há dias que carregam o peso inteiro de uma identidade. O 10 de junho é dos segundos.

O nome completo é Dia de Portugal, de Camões e das Comunidades Portuguesas. Cada parte desse nome foi escolhida com uma intenção. E perceber essa intenção é perceber qualquer coisa importante sobre como os portugueses se veem a si próprios.

Comecemos por Camões — porque é impossível não começar por ele.

Luís Vaz de Camões é o Shakespeare do mundo lusófono, mas com uma diferença que importa: os portugueses sentem-no de uma forma que poucos falantes de inglês alguma vez sentiram Shakespeare. Pode começar como uma obrigação escolar, porque o estudamos para os exames, mas com o tempo passa a ser algo mais. O seu poema épico, Os Lusíadas, publicado em 1572, conta a viagem de Vasco da Gama à Índia e, por extensão, a história do próprio Portugal: um país pequeno na extremidade da Europa que se fez ao mar e encontrou o mundo. Camões escreveu a obra depois de anos de guerra, naufrágios, prisão, exílio. Perdeu um olho em combate. Regressa a Lisboa sem nada além do manuscrito, diz a lenda. Morreu na pobreza, em 1580.

Esse ano não é um detalhe menor. Em 1580, Filipe II de Espanha anexou Portugal. O país que tinha navegado até à Índia, ao Brasil, à China, deixou de existir como nação independente durante sessenta anos — o chamado Período Filipino. O homem que escreveu a história definitiva da grandeza portuguesa morreu precisamente no ano em que essa grandeza ficou sob domínio estrangeiro.

E é aqui que o feriado fica interessante.

Durante o Estado Novo — a ditadura de Salazar que durou até 1974 — o 10 de junho foi usado como instrumento de propaganda. Celebrava-se o império, a missão civilizacional, a ideia de que Portugal era um povo com um destino especial. Era uma festa construída para impressionar e para silenciar ao mesmo tempo. Depois da Revolução dos Cravos, o feriado foi reinterpretado. A ênfase deslocou-se do império para a diáspora — os milhões de portugueses espalhados por França, pelo Brasil, pelo Reino Unido, pelos Estados Unidos, por Angola, por Moçambique, por toda a parte. As Comunidades Portuguesas tornaram-se centrais. Portugal voltou-se para dentro e para fora ao mesmo tempo: homenageando o que tinha perdido e reconhecendo para onde o seu povo tinha ido.

Hoje, o dia é assinalado com cerimónias oficiais, condecorações, desfiles militares. A cidade anfitriã roda — um ano em Lisboa, outro no Porto, outro em Ponta Delgada, por vezes mesmo fora do país, em cidades com grandes comunidades portuguesas. Há bandeiras nas janelas, sardinhas na rua, arraiais que misturam o solene e o festivo de uma forma que é, ela própria, muito portuguesa.

Há uma palavra que existe em português e que dizem não ter tradução directa para nenhuma outra língua, mas eu acho que o japonês também a tem: saudade. Costuma ser explicada como nostalgia, como uma longing por algo perdido. Mas é mais do que isso — é a consciência de que algo belo existiu, e que agora só existe na memória e no desejo. O 10 de junho é talvez o dia em que essa ideia aparece mais às claras. Celebra-se aquilo que Portugal é, mas também aquilo que perdeu. Aquilo que mudou. Aquilo que continua a existir longe das suas fronteiras, em comunidades que falam português com sotaques do mundo inteiro.

Se queres aprender português de uma forma que vai além da gramática — que te dá acesso à cultura, à história e às camadas de significado que nenhum manual te vai ensinar — a Casa Portuguesa está aberta. Vem conhecer.

Explore

EN

Today in the Speaking Club we talked about what June 10th actually means. If you’re curious too, this one’s for you.

There are days on the calendar that exist purely as mandatory pauses — a day off that nobody quite knows the reason for. And then there are days that carry the full weight of an identity. June 10th is the second kind.

The full name is Dia de Portugal, de Camões e das Comunidades Portuguesas — the Day of Portugal, of Camões, and of the Portuguese Communities. Every part of that name was chosen with intention. And understanding that intention is understanding something important about how the Portuguese see themselves.

Let’s start with Camões — because it’s impossible not to.

Luís Vaz de Camões is the Shakespeare of the Lusophone world, but with a difference that matters: the Portuguese feel him in a way that few English speakers ever felt Shakespeare. It may start as a school obligation, because we study him for exams, but over time it becomes something more. His epic poem, Os Lusíadas, published in 1572, tells the story of Vasco da Gama’s voyage to India and, by extension, the story of Portugal itself: a small country on the edge of Europe that took to the sea and found the world. Camões wrote it after years of war, shipwrecks, imprisonment, exile. He lost an eye in battle. Legend has it he returned to Lisbon with nothing but the manuscript. He died in poverty, in 1580.

That year is not a minor detail. In 1580, Philip II of Spain annexed Portugal. The country that had sailed to India, to Brazil, to China ceased to exist as an independent nation for sixty years — a period known as the Philippine Dynasty. The man who wrote the definitive story of Portuguese greatness died precisely in the year that greatness fell under foreign rule.

And this is where the holiday gets interesting.

During the Estado Novo — Salazar’s dictatorship, which lasted until 1974 — June 10th was used as an instrument of propaganda. It celebrated the empire, the civilising mission, the idea that Portugal was a people with a special destiny. It was a celebration built to impress and to silence at the same time. After the Carnation Revolution, the holiday was reinterpreted. The emphasis shifted from empire to diaspora — the millions of Portuguese scattered across France, Brazil, the United Kingdom, the United States, Angola, Mozambique, everywhere. The Portuguese Communities became central. Portugal turned inward and outward at the same time: honouring what it had lost and acknowledging where its people had gone.

Today, the day is marked with official ceremonies, honours, military parades. The host city rotates — one year Lisbon, another Porto, another Ponta Delgada, sometimes even outside the country, in cities with large Portuguese communities. There are flags in windows, sardines in the street, street parties that mix the solemn and the festive in a way that is, itself, very Portuguese.

There is a word in Portuguese that people say has no direct translation in any other language — though I think Japanese might have its equivalent: saudade. It’s usually explained as nostalgia, as a longing for something lost. But it’s more than that — it’s the awareness that something beautiful existed, and that now it only lives in memory and in longing. June 10th is perhaps the day that idea appears most clearly. What is celebrated is what Portugal is, but also what it has lost. What has changed. What continues to exist far beyond its borders, in communities that speak Portuguese with accents from every corner of the world.

If you want to learn Portuguese in a way that goes beyond grammar — that gives you access to the culture, the history, and the layers of meaning no textbook will ever teach you — Casa Portuguesa is open. Come and find out more.

Explore

Com café e caos,

Catarina Bento

Menu da epifania:

• Português

• Inglês

• Join Casa portuguesa Q&A

How To Learn from Café C/ Caos

Depois de milénios, eu sei, estou de volta.

Muita coisa aconteceu. Entre eu ficar de cama 2 semanas sem voz e com febre alta, o tempo voou e eu perdi noção de como tudo anda mais rápido. Quanto mais velha fico, mais me apercebo de que o que a minha mãe me dizia é verdade: quanto mais velha ficas, mais rápido o tempo passa. Já estamos em Maio, e com um piscar de olhos, vamos estar em Junho e BAM — meio ano já passou.

Se me sinto produtiva? Talvez sim, talvez não. Por mais que tente, as coisas continuam a acumular e eu acabo por não conseguir ficar sem nada para fazer. A cultura da produtividade e os algoritmos das redes sociais estão a dar comigo em louca — e posso dizer que andei muito perto de um esgotamento. Andar sempre atrás de um algoritmo que muda de ideias da mesma maneira que eu mudo de t-shirt não ajuda.

Quem me conhece sabe que eu e redes sociais somos uma relação agridoce, porque eu gosto de viver no momento e chateia-me ter de estar sempre ligada ao telemóvel. Cheguei ao ponto de voltar ao analógico e deixar o meu smartwatch. Mas este ano é o ano em que finalmente crio uma presença online — ou que pelo menos tento. Uma aventura no meio de schedulers, design, Canva, e marketing, que tive na universidade e fui horrível. O importante também é o equilíbrio — fazer isto tudo ao lado das aulas e tentar não entrar em esgotamento.

E no meio de tudo isto, lancei a Casa Portuguesa.

As coisas têm corrido muito bem. Estou a adicionar mais recursos e cursos, está a ganhar forma, e este projeto está a ser super divertido — estou a adorar fazê-lo. Tenho recebido feedbacks de várias pessoas e juntos temos criado um bom espaço.

E tenho uma surpresa para os meus substackers.

Até agora, a Casa Portuguesa só existia em planos trimestrais. A partir de hoje, és a primeira pessoa a ter acesso ao pagamento mensal — antes de mais ninguém. Sem compromisso longo, sem ter de decidir se vale a pena antes de experimentar.

E se quiseres experimentar ainda hoje — hoje vamos ter um Q&A ao vivo para tirar as dúvidas que surgiram durante a última semana de estudo. Podes juntar-te a nós agora mesmo.

Join Casa Portuguesa

English version below ↓

After what feels like millennia, I know, I’m back.

A lot has happened. Between spending 2 weeks in bed with no voice and a high fever, time flew and I completely lost track of how fast everything moves. The older I get, the more I realise my mum was right: the older you get, the faster time passes. We’re already in May, and in the blink of an eye we’ll be in June and BAM — half the year is already gone.

Do I feel productive? Maybe yes, maybe no. No matter how hard I try, things keep piling up and I just can’t seem to get to the bottom of the list. Productivity culture and social media algorithms are driving me absolutely mad — and I can honestly say I’ve been dangerously close to burnout. Constantly chasing an algorithm that changes its mind as often as I change my t-shirt really doesn’t help.

Anyone who knows me knows that me and social media have a bittersweet relationship, because I love living in the moment and being glued to my phone drives me crazy. I actually got to the point of going back to analogue and ditching my smartwatch. But this is the year I finally build an online presence — or at least try. An adventure in the middle of schedulers, design, Canva, and marketing, which I studied at university and was absolutely terrible at. The important thing is balance — doing all of this alongside teaching and trying not to burn out in the process.

And in the middle of all of this, I launched Casa Portuguesa.

Things have been going really well. I’ve been adding more resources and courses, it’s taking shape, and this project has been so much fun — I’m absolutely loving it. I’ve been getting feedback from so many people and together we’ve been building something really good.

And I have a surprise for my substackers.

Until now, Casa Portuguesa only existed as a quarterly plan. From today, you’re the first person to get access to monthly payments — before anyone else. No long commitment, no having to decide if it’s worth it before you’ve even tried.

And if you want to try it out today — we have a live Q&A happening today to answer all the questions that came up during the last week of studying. You can join us right now.

Join Casa Portuguesa

Menu da epifania:

• Português

• Inglês

• Note: This week I couldn’t record the audios for the series, but later i’ll add them + the study file :) i’m owing you a lot of audios by now…

How To Learn from Café C/ Caos

A saga das manhãs sem cafeína continua. Desta vez foi tão mau que até um aluno meu disse que eu parecia uma Zombie… Na pausa tive de ir beber um café como deve ser ao continente do outro lado da rua. Ajudou, parece que a minha cara ficou com luz de novo!

Durante a tarde trabalhei bastante mas estava cheia de sono e de mau humor. Foi aqui que me apercebi que tenho um grave problema com a cafeína e estou viciada. Por isso o objetivo é começar a beber menos café, máximo 3 por dia.

Mas as aventuras não acabam. Porque ao fim do dia houve um mega aparato no continente à frente da nossa casa. Eu ainda estava a trabalhar então não consegui ver nada. Mas os meus amigos estavam colados à janela como velhas cuscas à coca de mexerico. Eu vi as luzes da policia ou da ambulância na janela mas não pensei que fosse tão dramático.

Então, o que aconteceu? Alguém morreu no continente. Primeiro veio a ambulância, depois veio a policia e depois a casa funerária. Que maneira de acabar o dia de Carnaval. Claro que nós queríamos saber o que se passou então fomos ao continente ouvir as conversas de quem lá estava. Acabamos a descobrir nada….

Jantamos, bebemos um cocktail e fomos dormir. O dia seguinte também acabou a ser cheio.

Com Café & Caos,

Catarina

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How To Learn from Café C/ Caos

English

The saga of caffeine-free mornings continues. This time it was so bad that even a student of mine said I looked like a Zombie... During the break I had to go drink a proper coffee to the continent across the street. It helped, it looked like my face got light again!

During the afternoon I worked a lot but I sleepy and in a bad mood. It was here that I realized that I have a serious problem with caffeine and I'm addicted. That's why the goal is to start drinking less coffee, maximum 3 per day.

But the adventures don't end here. Because at the end of the day there was a mega apparatus on the continent in front of our house. I was still working so I couldn't see anything. But my friends were glued to the window like old gossip ladies. I saw the police or ambulance lights in the window but I didn't think it was so dramatic.

So, what happened? Someone died on the continent. First came the ambulance, then came the police and then the funeral home. What a way to end Carnival day. Of course we wanted to know what happened so we went to the continent to listen to the conversations of those who were there. We ended up finding out nothing....

We had dinner, drank a cocktail and went to sleep. The next day also ended up being full.

With Coffee & Chaos,

Catarina

No big announcement. No dramatic shift. Just a decision.

The kind where you stop circling something… and finally step into it.

Today, I opened the doors to Casa Portuguesa. And already, people are walking in.

Not because they suddenly became “better at Portuguese.” But because they’re done doing it the hard way.

If you’ve been learning for a while, you probably know this feeling:

You understand a bit. You recognise some words. You follow… parts of conversations.

But not enough.

Not enough to feel comfortable. Not enough to respond naturally. Not enough to feel like you belong here.

That’s the gap. Not beginner. Not fluent. Just… stuck in between.

And here’s the part most people don’t realise:

It’s not about studying more.

It’s about how your brain is processing the language.

Portuguese isn’t a list of words.

It’s patterns.

“vou fazer”

“estou a trabalhar”

“tenho de ir”

If your brain doesn’t recognise these instantly, everything feels slow, heavy …confusing.

But when it does? Things start to click. Not all at once.

But enough that you finally feel movement.

That’s what Casa Portuguesa is built for.

Not just to “teach you Portuguese.”

But to help you understand what you’re hearing and actually use it.

To move from:

“I think I got that…” to “I know what’s going on.”

And that’s why the doors are open today. For a small group. People who are ready to stop guessing and start building this properly.

If that’s you — you’ll feel it. That quiet pull. The one that says: “Okay… this might be it.”

You can join here:

Join Casa Portuguesa

And if you’re not there yet, that’s okay too. Don’t force the decision. Just don’t stay in the same place.

Start here:

Try Pronunciation 101

This is where most people realise why things haven’t clicked yet.

The doors won’t stay open forever. But the shift can start now.

With Coffee,

Catarina

PS. There’s more coffee with chaos o the way! Stay tuned

Because it’s one thing to talk about a course —

and another to actually see how it works.

When you step inside, this is what you’ll find:

This is your starting point.

Everything is organised so you’re not jumping between random lessons or wondering what to do next.

You follow a structure. Step by step.

Each lesson is built to help you understand first.

Not just repeat.

You’ll see patterns, examples, and how the language actually moves

in real life.

Then you apply it.

Because understanding without practice is where most people get stuck.

This is where things start to click.

And this is where it becomes real.

You’re not learning in isolation.

In the community spaces you can ask questions, see how others are progressing, and stay connected to the language consistently.

This is not about doing more.

It’s about finally having something that makes sense.

Something you can actually follow without overthinking every step.

If you’ve been wondering whether this could work for you —

this is your chance to look inside properly.

There’s a 3-day trial, so you can explore everything and see how it feels.

Explore Casa Portuguesa

P.S. If you’re learning with a partner, there’s a couples option available.

Because this is a lot easier (and a lot more fun)

when you’re both in it.

Because it doesn’t feel like a big bang.

No countdown. No dramatic reveal. No “doors closing soon.”

It feels quieter than that.

More like opening a space that has been built slowly, piece by piece, over months… maybe years, if I’m being honest.

Today is the soft launch of Casa Portuguesa!

Which means: it’s live.

But more importantly — it’s ready to be experienced, not just seen.

If you’ve been here for a while, you already know this didn’t start as a “course.”

It started with frustration.

With students who had been studying Portuguese for years —

doing everything “right” —

and still freezing when it came time to speak.

Still not understanding what people were saying in real life.

Still feeling like… outsiders in a country they were trying to call home.

And I kept seeing the same pattern:

It wasn’t a vocabulary problem.

It wasn’t even a motivation problem.

It was structure.

Or more accurately — the lack of it.

So I built something that fixes that.

Not by adding more content.

But by organising the language in a way that actually makes sense.

Something that helps you:

— understand how Portuguese works (not just memorise it)

— recognise patterns instead of translating word by word

— stop freezing when you need to speak

— and finally feel like you’re participating in your life here.

This is not a “watch and forget” course.

It’s a system.

A way of learning that’s designed to move with you —

from confusion → clarity → confidence.

And today, I’m opening it quietly.

No pressure. No urgency.

Just… access.

If you’re curious, you can step inside.

There’s a 3-day trial — so you can explore it properly, see how it feels, and decide if it’s the right fit for you.

You can go through the lessons.

Test the structure.

Because at the end of the day, that’s what matters:

Not what I say it is.

But what it becomes for you.

If you’ve been stuck for a while… if things haven’t been clicking… if you’ve been doing the work but not seeing the result — this might be the shift.

P.S. If you’re learning Portuguese with a partner — I’ve added a small couples option for the soft launch.

Because one of you shouldn’t have to carry the conversations for both.

If that’s you, just reply or message me after joining and I’ll sort it for you.

Explore Casa Portuguesa

Menu da epifania:

• Português

• Inglês

• Casa Portuguese reminder!

• Note: This week I couldn’t record the audios for the series, but later i’ll add them + the study file :) i’m owing you a lot of audios by now…

How To Learn from Café C/ Caos

Só visto porque contado, não tem tanta piada. No entanto, como não dá para voltar atrás no tempo, eu vou contar-vos. Como já sabem, eu estou no Porto a passar tempo com amigos. Este domingo foi especialmente interessante….

Eu sinto, já há algum tempo, que meu cérebro precisa de férias e eu preciso de descanso mental, mas a vida ainda não deixou e por isso andamos a esticar até eu ser obrigada a tirar férias. Isto é relevante? Sim. Porquê? Porque este domingo foi prova de que estou quase a partir.

Às vezes a minha distração e estupidez surpreendem-me. De manhã, quando vou sair, a primeira coisa que faço é pôr lentes de contacto. Desta vez, pensava que não ia ser muito diferente. Eu vou à casa de banho ponho as lentes e fico a olhar para a reflexão da mesa da sala no espelho. Há alguma coisa diferente… Está estranhamente desfocado. Na minha mente eu pensei:

- Será que piorei desde ontem à noite? O que é que aconteceu? Eu bebi mas não tanto que afete o meu olhar…!

O meu amigo sai do quarto dele e fica a olhar para mim e diz:

-Olha lá, tu estás a fazer o quê?

-Estou a tentar ver porque é que eu deixei de ver com as lentes…

-Tu, por acaso, não puseste as minhas lentes?

-Não, eu levei a caixa para o meu quarto para não as trocar. E eu trouxe-as agora de manhã.

Ele pôs uma das lentes da outra caixa, tapa o outro olho com a mão para testar e olha para mim com um ar desiludido e ao mesmo tempo de falta de surpresa:

-Tu trocaste as caixas e estás a usar as minhas lentes!

Com isto nós partimo-nos a rir e a mulher dele sai do quarto a olhar para a nossa figura e com um ar de indagação sobre o que se estava a passar… Posso dizer que ela não estava surpreendida com o que se passou e que, pelo visto, é algo que seria de esperar quando as nossas caixas das lentes são iguais. Esta semana já tenho uma missão: comprar uma caixa de lentes única para que isto não aconteça de novo.

Vamos misturar isto com o facto de que, eu já não bebo cafeína há 3 dias… Eu esqueci-me que eles bebem descafeinado, o que explica as dores de cabeça e talvez…. a confusão das lentes. Em busca de cafeína!!

Com Café & Caos,

Catarina

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How To Learn from Café C/ Caos

English

Only seen because told, it's not so funny. However, since you can't go back in time, I'll tell you. As you already know, I'm in Porto spending time with friends. This Sunday was especially interesting....

I've been feeling, for some time now, that my brain needs a vacation and I need mental rest, but life hasn't let me yet and that's why we've been stretching until I'm forced to take a vacation. Is this relevant? Yes. Why? Because this Sunday was proof that I am almost breaking.

Sometimes my distraction and stupidity surprise me. In the morning, when I go out, the first thing I do is put on contact lenses. This time, I thought it wouldn't be very different. I go to the bathroom, put on the lenses and look at the reflection of the living room table in the mirror. There's something different... It's strangely out of focus. In my mind I thought:

- Did I get worse since last night? What happened? I drank but not so much that it affects my eyesight...!

My friend leaves his room and looks at me and says:

-so.. (lit. looks there), what are you doing?

-I'm trying to see why I stopped seeing with the lenses...

-Didn't you put on my lenses by any chance?

-No, I took the box to my room so I wouldn't mix them up. And I brought them this morning.

He puts on one of the lenses of the other box, covers the other eye with his hand to test and looks at me with a disappointed look and, at the same time, of lack of surprise:

-You mixed the boxes up and you're using my lenses!

With this we burst out laughing and his wife leaves the room, looking at our figure and with an air of inquiry about what was going on... I can say that she was not surprised by what happened and that, apparently, it is something that would be expected when our lens boxes look the same. This week I already have a mission: to buy an unique lenses box so that this doesn't happen again.

Let's mix this with the fact that I haven't had caffeine for 3 days... I forgot that they drink decaffeinated, which explains the headaches and maybe.... the confusion of the lenses. In search of caffeine!!

With Coffee & Chaos,

Catarina

Casa Portuguesa

Casa Portuguesa opens soon.

The waitlist will get early access before the public launch — and the opportunity to join at the founding member rate. And… Find out more about this project!

Once the doors open publicly, that price disappears.

Get Early Access

Chapters. Grammar blocks. Vocabulary lists. Students did everything right.

They studied, took notes, did the exercises… and yet when they stepped into a café, a shop, or a conversation with a neighbour, something happened.

They froze. Not because they didn’t know the words. But because language doesn’t live in vocabulary lists.

It lives in rhythm. In patterns. In culture. In real conversations. And slowly I realised something:

If learning Portuguese feels disconnected from real life, it will always feel harder than it should. So I started rebuilding the process.

Over the last few years — and more than 8,000 lessons later — I refined a different approach to learning Portuguese.

One that focuses on:

• understanding how the language actually works

• learning in context, not isolation

• building progression instead of collecting rules

• integrating culture, not just grammar

Because language isn’t just words.

It’s belonging.

From Estrangeiro to Local

When people move to Portugal, there is often a quiet gap.

You can live here. But you don’t quite belong yet. You observe conversations more than you participate in them. You understand parts, but not the whole rhythm.

You can get by… but it still feels like you’re standing slightly outside the circle. My goal has always been to help people move through that gap.

From surviving conversations… to participating in them.

From observing… to belonging.

Introducing Casa Portuguesa

So I built something new. Casa Portuguesa is a structured Portuguese learning space designed to replace scattered studying with clear progression.

Not another random course. Not an app that throws vocabulary at you. But a place where the language unfolds in a way that makes sense.

A space where you learn Portuguese the way it actually lives: in cafés, conversations, humour, cities, and everyday life.

A space where the goal isn’t just learning Portuguese.

It’s living it.

The Waitlist Is Now Open

Casa Portuguesa officially launches on 1 April

(and no — it’s not an April Fool’s joke).

Early access opens 25 March for the waitlist.

People on the waitlist will:

• get first access before the public launch

• lock in the founding member rate

• be the first inside the Casa Portuguesa community

If you’d like to be part of it from the beginning, you can join the waitlist here:

Join the Casa Portuguesa Waitlist

I’ll be sharing more details via email about what’s inside, how it works, and how the learning path is structured.

For now, this feels like the start of something special.

Welcome to Casa Portuguesa!!

Menu da epifania:

• Português

• Inglês

• Group Classes → March

• Note: This week I couldn’t record the audios for the series, but later i’ll add them + the study file :) i’m owing you a lot of audios by now…

How To Learn from Café C/ Caos

Hoje é segunda feira e é dia de voltar ao trabalho. Mas a epifania de hoje é sobre a minha viagem para o Porto. Para quem não sabe, eu vivi no Porto durante alguns anos e desde que saí de lá ocasionalmente eu volto para visitar os meus amigos. Este é um daqueles fins de semana.

Aproveitem o primeiro sol, em semanas, para fazer a viagem. Como tinha uma aula decidi fazer meia-meia, ou seja, meia viagem - aula - meia viagem. Dei a aula no carro e criei um espaço de trabalho confortável, como podem ver abaixo!

Podem ignorar o computador com pó, que nem eu sei de onde veio tanto pó… No setup podem ver as minhas novas garrafas da HydroFlask, não sou patrocinada ainda por eles, mas esperemos que eles percebam quanto café eu bebo e possa vir uma parceria daqui. Uma das garrafas para café e outra para água. Comprei-as recentemente no site por causa dos descontos de inverno. Yey! Quem não gosta de descontos?

Depois da aula avancei para cima ( para o Porto). Neste altura estava em Santarém. Como parei na estação de serviço, aproveitei para atestar o carro com gasolina e também para carregar o carro. Parei um pouco mais adiante, em Coimbra, para poder almoçar. Vi uma amiga que me recebeu com almoço pronto. Foi impressionante ver os preparativos que as pessoas tiveram de fazer para não ficarem com as casas inundadas. Como já devem saber, Coimbra inundou completamente e as margens do rio galgaram, então muitas pessoas ficaram com as casas inundadas. Até houve quem tivesse de sair da sua casa por causa da inundação. Momentos muitos difíceis.

Eu tive de sair da autoestrada porque parte da A1 caiu a caminho do Porto. Então também acabei a ver o centro da cidade, que está cheio de água. Muito triste. Esperemos que o tempo nos dê tréguas para que todos se possam levantar e voltar ao normal, tanto quanto possível. Sabemos que depois disto, nunca se volta ao normal completamente…

E depois, finalmente o Porto! Ainda apanhei alguma chuva pelo caminho, mas nada de preocupante em comparação com as tempestades dos dias anteriores. Mas parece que esta semana vamos ter sol, pelo menos partes do país finalmente vão ficar com sol. Basicamente saí de casa às 10h30 e cheguei ao porto às 16h30…. Uma viagem que é 3h15 passou a 6h!

Hoje a epifania foi mais refletida e um pouco mais séria, mas a vida é assim…

Com Café & Caos,

Catarina

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How To Learn from Café C/ Caos

English

Today is Monday and it's the day to go back to work. But today's epiphany is about my trip to Porto. For those who don't know, I lived in Porto for a few years and since I left there occasionally I come back to visit my friends. This is one of those weekends.

Take advantage of the first sun in weeks to make the trip. As I had a class I decided to do half-half, that is, half trip - class - half trip. I taught the class in the car and created a comfortable workspace, as you can see below!

You can ignore the dusty computer, that even I don't know where so much dust came from... In the setup you can see my new HydroFlask bottles, I'm not sponsored by them yet, but let's hope they realize how much coffee I drink and a partnership can come from here. One of the bottles for coffee and another for water. I recently bought them on the website because of the winter discounts. Yey! Who doesn't like discounts?

After class I went up (to Porto). At that time I was in Santarém. As I stopped at the service station, I took the opportunity to fill up the car with gasoline and also to charge the car. I stopped a little further, in Coimbra, so I could have lunch. I saw a friend who received me with lunch ready. It was impressive to see the preparations that people had to make so as not to have flooded houses. As you may already know, Coimbra flooded completely and the banks of the river swed, so many people were left with flooded houses. There were even those who had to leave their house because of the flood. Very difficult moments.

I had to leave the highway because part of the A1 fell on the way to Porto. So I also ended up seeing the city center, which is full of water. Very sad. Let's hope that time gives us truces so that everyone can get up and return to normal, as much as possible. We know that after this, we never return to normal completely...

And then, finally Porto! I still got some rain on the way, but nothing as worrying compared to the storms of the previous days. But it seems that this week we will have sun, at least parts of the country will finally be sunny. Basically I left home at 10:30 am and arrived at the port at 4:30 pm.... A trip that is 3h15 went to 6h!

Today the epiphany was more reflective and a little more serious, but life is like that...

With Coffee & Chaos,

Catarina

Foundations of PT → Class March

🗓 Duration

12 weeks, from 2nd March to 20 May, with the possibility of extension depending on students’ needs.

🕕 Schedule

Classes will take place Mondays and Wednesdays, 4:00–5:00 pm (Portugal time).

👥 Group size

4–6 students maximum.

If all spots are filled, a new group will be opened.

🎯 Level & language

The goal is to take you from 0 to A2 level.

Classes will be conducted in Portuguese, English, and Spanish, depending on the students attending, so expect a mix of the three languages for explanations and core grammar.

📚 Materials & platform

All materials will be shared via Google Drive, and classes will be held on Zoom.

If a student misses a session, the class will be recorded and made available.

There will also be a WhatsApp group for communication, questions, and updates.

How to sign up

If you’re interested, you can sign up using this form and pay a €10 admin reservation fee.

Reservations are open until 20th february.

Reserve my spot

💰 Pricing

The full 12 week course costs €180.

You can choose to:

• Pay in full, or

• Pay monthly: €60 every 4 weeks.

Once you sign up, you’ll receive an email with the final payment link, as well as Zoom and Google Drive access details.

📌 Important note

Monthly payments are non-refundable once the month has started.

However, you will retain access for the entire month to:

• Class recordings

• Course materials (which can be downloaded)

Reserve my spot

Once you pay your reservation fee please send me an email with your whatsapp so that I can save both and add you to the group :) hello@catarinabento.studio or click the button bellow

Menu da epifania:

• Português

• Inglês

• Use it in Real Life → Anchor Formulas

• Note: This week I couldn’t record the audios for the series, but later i’ll add them + the study file :) i’m owing you a lot of audios by now…

How To Learn from Café C/ Caos

Nestas últimas semanas, Portugal levou uma tareia do tempo e podemos dizer que já estamos fartos de chuva e vento. Eu fiquei em casa pela maior parte do tempo, o que me deu tempo a mais para pensar e ficar a cismar com a vida.

Estou numa fase de transição e expansão do meu trabalho em que vou passar de freelancer a empresa e vou começar a expandir o meu trabalho e a trabalhar com plataformas, ou até mesmo, publicar um livro. Tudo isto está a fazer-me ficar assoberbada porque só vejo burocracias à frente e o meu cérebro precisa de umas férias. Será isso possível? Eu sei que com TDHA é pedir demais mas… por favor? Vá lá!!

Hoje tive poucas aulas, o que foi bom, porque acordei com uma valente dor de cabeça e com os meus rins a gritarem por ajuda! O normal… Eu tenho maus hábitos como só beber água quando os meus rins doem. Entretanto, já ensinei 3 aulas desde o último parágrafo, e a dor de cabeça ainda não me deixou, mesmo depois de tomar 2 comprimidos para as dores.

Como eu gosto do caos que tenho, e ultimamente parece que, o que já tenho não é suficiente, eu decidi que quero aprender russo e chinês para poder ajudar alguns dos meus alunos e expandir o tipo de pessoas com quem trabalho. Se quiserem até posso documentar a jornada e aproveitar para vos dar dicas de como estudar. Mas apesar de a documentação ser uma opção, não faço ideia de como o fazer, por isso estou aberta a sugestões vossas. Eu ainda pensei num canal do Youtube ou videos nas redes sociais. Posso também dizer que antes de me meter nesta aventura de duas línguas novas, deveria acabar de aprender coreano e hindi mas…. vamos ver, pode ser que isto me faça ter motivação para continuar. Mas para isso preciso de mais tempo de folga para poder descansar e aprender em condições. O tempo livre que tenho agora não me dá a possibilidade de estudar o quanto eu queria.

Claro que depois de um dia de trabalho há sempre aventura. A meio da minha última aula, uma das minhas colegas de casa entrou pelo meu quarto a dentro e mostrou-me uma fechadura. Fora de contexto é estranho, até para mim foi… e depois ela disse-me:” olha ela trancou-se no quarto”… Calma, o quê? Pedi ao meu aluno 5 minutos para ver o quão caótica era a situação e… era caótica. Pedi à rapariga para esperar 20min no quarto, se bem que ela não tinha outro remédio porque não conseguia sair, acabei a minha aula e depois fui salvá-la. Foi preciso um cabide, paciência e partir uma chave para conseguirmos abrir a porta. Lição do dia? Nunca fechem a porta do vosso quarto à chave, pois poderão ficar fechados e se estiverem sozinhos em casa…. ninguém vos salva!

Com Café & Caos,

Catarina

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How To Learn from Café C/ Caos

English

In these last weeks, Portugal got hit hard by the weather and we can say that we are already fed up with rain and wind. I stayed at home for most of the time, which gave me more time to think and overthink life.

I am in a phase of transition and expansion of my work in which I will move from freelancer to company and I will start expanding my company and working with platforms, or even publishing a book. All this is making me overwhelmed because I only see bureaucracies ahead and my brain needs a vacation. Is this possible? I know that with TDHA it's too much to ask but... please? Come on!!

Today I had few classes, which was good, because I woke up with a brave headache and with my kidneys screaming for help! The normal... I have bad habits like only drinking water when my kidneys hurt. However, I've already taught 3 classes since the last paragraph, and the headache still hasn't left me, even after taking 2 pills for the pain.

As I like the chaos I have, and lately it seems that what I already have is not enough, I decided that I want to learn Russian and Chinese to be able to help some of my students and expand the circle of people I work with. If you want, I can even document the journey and take the opportunity to give you tips on how to study. But although documentation is an option, I have no idea how to do it, so I'm open to your suggestions. I thought about a YouTube channel or videos on social networks. I can also say that before getting into this adventure of two new languages, I should finish learning Korean and Hindi but.... let's see, this may make me have motivation to continue. But for that I need more time off to be able to rest and learn properly. The free time I have now doesn't give me the possibility to study as much as I wanted.

Of course, after a day of work there is always adventure. In the middle of my last class, one of my housemates bursted into my room and showed me a lock. Out of context it's strange, even for me it was... and then she told me: "look she locked herself in the room"... Calm down, what? I asked my student for 5 minutes to see how chaotic the situation was and... it was chaotic. I asked the girl to wait 20 minutes in the room, even though she had no other option because she couldn't leave, I finished my class and then went to save her. It took a hanger, patience and a key to be able to open the door. Lesson of the day? Never lock the door of your room, because they may be locked and if you are alone at home.... no one saves you!

With Coffee & Chaos,

Catarina

Anchor Formulas → Use it in real life

OVERWHELM / MENTAL STATE

levar uma tareia de + noun = to get hit hard by / to be heavily affected by

Portugal levou uma tareia do tempo. → Portugal got badly hit by the weather.

Levei uma tareia de trabalho esta semana. → I got hit hard with work this week.

ficar a + verb infinitive = to start/continue doing

Fiquei a cismar com a vida. → I kept overthinking about life.

Fiquei a trabalhar nisso. → I kept working on that.

passar de X a Y = to go from X to Y

Vou passar de freelancer a empresa. → I’m going from freelancer to company.

Ela passou de estudante a professora. → She went from student to teacher.

começar a + verb infinitive = to start doing

Vou começar a trabalhar com plataformas. → I’m going to start working with platforms.

Comecei a estudar russo. → I started studying Russian.

estar a fazer-me + verb infinitive = to be making me +verb

Isto está a fazer-me ficar assoberbada. → This is making me feel overwhelmed.

Isto está a fazer-me duvidar. → This is making me doubt.

só ver + noun + à frente = to only see (problems, things) ahead

Só vejo burocracias à frente. → I only see bureaucracy ahead.

Só vejo despesas à frente. → I only see expenses ahead.

PHYSICAL STATE

acordar com + noun = to wake up with

Acordei com uma dor de cabeça. → I woke up with a headache.

Acordei com pouca energia. → I woke up with low energy.

desde + noun/time expression = since

Já ensinei 3 aulas desde o último parágrafo. → I’ve already taught 3 classes since the last paragraph.

Não descanso desde manhã. → I haven’t rested since morning.

antes de + verb infinitive = before doing

Antes de me meter nesta aventura… → Before getting into this adventure…

Antes de começar algo novo… → Before starting something new…

não fazer ideia de + noun/como + verb = to have no idea

Não faço ideia de como documentar isto. → I have no idea how to document this.

Não faço ideia do que fazer. → I have no idea what to do.

precisar de + noun/verb = to need

Preciso de mais tempo. → I need more time.

Preciso de fazer o café. → I need to make coffee.

não dar a possibilidade de + verb infinitive = to not allow / not give the possibility

O tempo livre que tenho não me dá a possibilidade de estudar. → The free time I have doesn’t allow me to study.

STORYTELLING / DRAMA

a meio de + noun = in the middle of

A meio da minha última aula… → In the middle of my last class…

A meio da reunião… → In the middle of the meeting…

entrar pelo + noun + a dentro = to burst into

Ela entrou pelo meu quarto a dentro. → She burst into my room.

Ele entrou pela sala a dentro. → He burst into the living room.

pedir a alguém + tempo = to ask someone for time

Pedi ao meu aluno 5 minutos. → I asked my student for 5 minutes.

acabar por + verb infinitive = to end up doing (final outcome)

Acabei por partir a chave. → I ended up breaking the key.

Acabámos por abrir a porta. → We ended up opening the door.

foi preciso + noun = it took / it required

Foi preciso um cabide e paciência. → It took a hanger and patience.

Foi preciso coragem. → It took courage.

nunca + verb (imperative) = never do…

Nunca fechem a porta à chave. → Never lock the door.

Nunca ignorem sinais de cansaço. → Never ignore signs of fatigue.

Menu da epifania:

• Português

• Inglês

• The Speaking Club News

• Note: This week I couldn’t record the audios for the series, but later i’ll add them + the study file :)

How To Learn from Café C/ Caos

Eu não costumo fazer destas maluqueiras mas o Starbucks influenciou-me a quase acampar em frente à loja para ter a nova garrafa do urso. Para quem não sabe eu colecciono garrafas que combinam com as minhas roupas e eu tenho visto a moda dos ursos do starbucks e quis um. Problema… Eu não pensei que em Portugal a febre dos ursos fosse como a Black Friday em dia de loucos.

Como eu trabalho, fui ao starbucks do El Corte inglês, uma loja de departamentos, à hora de almoço para ir comprar o urso. A senhora disse-me que já tinham vendido quase todos no dia anterior e o último tinha sido vendido 30 minutos antes. Como assim?? Ela disse-me":” vai ao do saldanha ou ao de Belém e pode ser que encontres”. Obrigada senhora mas eu trabalho, tenho mais que fazer do que andar a fazer turismo no starbucks por uma garrafa… Acham que tenho 15 anos ou que sou desempregada para ter tanto tempo livre? Mas, sim, fui ao Starbucks do Saldanha… E adivinhem?! Já tinham vendido todas, mas houve uma alma caridosa que me disse: “ eu ajudo-te. Dá-me o teu nome a a hora a que vais buscar a garrafa”. Ela ligou para outra loja e reservou-me um urso! Yey! Ela merecia uma gorjeta! Na altura nem pensei nisso, só quando cheguei ao carro. Ela merece uma prenda!

Neste momento estou a acabar o trabalho e estou super entusiasmada com a garrafa!!! Depois mostro-vos uma foto.

Passados mil anos, voltei de ir buscar o urso. Foi muito muito fixe! primeiro podemos falar de que eu fiquei encharcada porque fui com o meu impermeável. Depois a malta no Starbucks foi maravilhosa. Fiz 3 amigos novos e acabei a receber mais duas prendas. Ainda falei com eles e descobri que posso trabalhar no piso de cima. Por causa da simpatia deles, eu quero dar-lhes uma prenda. O que acham que lhes posso dar? Eu disse que se conseguisse mais alguns subscritores pagos aqui que lhes oferecia a cada um um urso ahahah

Aqui está o urso!

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How To Learn from Café C/ Caos

English

I don't usually do these crazy things but Starbucks influenced me to almost camp in front of the store to have the new bear bottle. For those who don't know, I collect bottles that match my clothes and I've been seeing the starbucks bear trend and wanted one. Problem... I didn't think that in Portugal the bear fever was going to be like Black Friday on a crazy day.

As I work, I went to El Corte Inglés's Starbucks, a department store, during lunch time to buy the bear. The lady told me that they had already sold almost all of them the day before and the last one had been sold 30 minutes before. What do you mean?? She told me": "go to Saldanha or Belém and you may find it". Thank you ma'am but I work, I have more to do than go sightseeing at Starbucks for a bottle... Do you think I'm 15 years old or that I'm unemployed to have so much free time? But, yes, I went to Saldanha's Starbucks... And guess what?! They had already sold them all, but there was a charitable soul who told me: "I'll help you. Give me your name and the time you're going to pick up the bottle." She called another store and reversed me a bear! Yey! She deserved a tip! I didn't even think about it at the time, only when I got to the car. She deserves a gift!

Right now I'm finishing work and I'm super excited about the bottle!!! I'll show you a picture later.

After a thousand years, I came back from picking up the bear. It was very, very cool! First we can talk about the fact that I got soaked because I went with my raincoat. Then the crowd at Starbucks was wonderful. I made 3 new friends and ended up receiving two more gifts. I still talked to them and found out that I can work upstairs. Because of their sympathy, I want to give them a gift. What do you think I can give you? I said that if I could get some more paid subscribers here that I would offer them each a bear ahahah

Here’s the bear!

The Speaking Club news

As you have been hearing recently, I have opened The Speaking Club so that students can practice conversations and interactions with others. So if you speak portuguese (A2 onwards) and need practice this I for you.

For those who freeze and need help, I have the foundations club for you or the private tutoring → way more effective before going into the Club. We have some native like folks in there and it can be overwhelming for some so… one step at a time.

How does it work?

It’s paid per class and you sign up to the ones you want to go. According to the amount of people in the class I’ll plan activities and groups so that everyone can have a conversation. We do have space for Q&A during this time. You already have pre-booked times and dates so that you know what to count on.

Join us!

You can give it a try and join us for a class!

Foundations of PT → Class March

If you haven’t seen the new class and want to join you can check more bellow!

The Foundations Class

Menu da epifania:

• Português

• Inglês

• Anchor formulas → Learn how to Speak with Café C/ Caos

• The foundations of Portuguese → March’s class

• Note: This week I couldn’t record the audios for the series, but later i’ll add them + the study file :)

How To Learn from Café C/ Caos

Estou surpreendida com a consistência com que estou a escrever esta série. Posso dizer que estou entusiasmada por partilhar as minhas aventuras diárias convosco.

Esta semana, como normal, está o caos. A minha agenda virtual teve um problema e agora tenho marcações a mais fora dos horários em que costumo trabalhar. Então, além das tarefas administrativas eu tenho mais trabalho, o que é bom e eu gosto! Mas depois tenho o bónus de ter de ficar até às 2 da manhã a fazer o meu plano de negócios. Como ontem…. Além disso, decidi ir ao McDonalds comprar nuggets para poder comer enquanto trabalho. O grande problema disso é que, àquela hora, quando volto a casa, não encontro lugar para o carro e acabo a ter de estacionar a cerca de 10-15min a pé de casa. Ideal? Não. Adicionamos frio à equação e piora um pouco, ainda se fosse de verão….

Então hoje, quando acordei às 9h20 para trabalhar, estava a morrer de sono! Bebi cerca de 4 cafés e mesmo às 15h eu ainda estava a bocejar. Felizmente tive uma pausa, que muito produtivamente aproveitei para fazer doomscrolling em videos do tiktok sobre combinar tipos de letras em design para o meu rebranding.

Depois das aulas do dia, cerca de 10 horas mais tarde, trabalhei um pouco mais mas em coisas diferentes. De vez em quando, eu faço traduções para sites, artigos e documentos de inglês para português. Eu gosto muito deste trabalho porque me permite relaxar o cérebro e descansar um pouco do zoom. Adiciona variedade ao meu trabalho e é excelente para os dias em que tenho menos energia social ou estou mais introvertida. Outra coisa de que gosto é criar recursos para vocês aprenderem. Também é algo que me ajuda a descansar, é quase como ter o cérebro desligado em comparação com as interações normais, que requerem mais energia.

Com Caos & café,

Catarina

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How To Learn from Café C/ Caos

I'm surprised by the consistency with which I'm writing this series. I can say that I am excited to share my daily adventures with you.

This week, as usual, there is chaos. My virtual schedule had a problem and now I have more appointments outside the hours I usually work. So, in addition to the administrative tasks, I have more work, which is good and I like it! But then I have the bonus of having to stay until 2 a.m. making my business plan. Like yesterday.... Adding to that, I decided to go to McDonalds to buy nuggets so I could eat while I work. The big problem with is that, at that time, when I get home, I can't find a place for the car and I end up having to park about 10-15 minutes walk from home. Ideal? No. We add cold to the equation and it gets a little worse, if only it was summer....

So today, when I woke up at 9:20 am to work, I was dying of sleep! I drank about 4 coffees and even at 3 pm I was still yawning. Fortunately I had a break, which I very productively took advantage of to do doomscrolling on tiktok on combining types of fonts in design for my rebranding.

After the day's classes, about 10 hours later, I worked a little more but on different things. From time to time, I do translations for websites, articles and documents from English to Portuguese. I really like this job because it allows me to relax my brain and rest a little from the zoom. It adds variety to my work and is excellent for the days when I have less social energy or I am more introverted. Another thing is I like is creating resources for you to learn. It's also something that helps me rest, it's almost like having my brain turned off compared to normal interactions, which require more energy.

With Chaos & coffee,

Catarina

Anchor Formulas → Use it in real life

OBLIGATION / RESPONSIBILITY

ter de + verb infinitive = to have to (obligation)

• Tenho de ficar até às 2 da manhã. → I have to stay until 2 a.m.

• Tenho de resolver isto hoje. → I have to solve this today.

ter + noun + a mais = to have too much of something

• Tenho marcações a mais. → I have too many bookings.

• Tenho trabalho a mais. → I have too much work.

acabar a + verb infinitive = to end up doing (often unwanted result)

• Acabo a estacionar longe. → I end up parking far away.

• Acabei a fazer tudo sozinha. → I ended up doing everything alone.

ficar a + verb infinitive = to remain doing / be left doing

• Fico a trabalhar até tarde. → I stay working until late.

• Fiquei a pensar nisso. → I kept thinking about that.

TIREDNESS / PHYSICAL STATE

estar a morrer de + noun = to be dying of (very common exaggeration)

• Estou a morrer de sono. → I’m dying of sleepiness.

• Estou a morrer de frio. → I’m freezing.

estar cheio/a de + noun = to be full of / overwhelmed with

• Estou cheia de trabalho. → I’m swamped with work.

• Estou cheia de sono. → I’m very sleepy.

mesmo às + time + ainda = even at [time], still

• Mesmo às 15h ainda estava a bocejar. → Even at 3 p.m. I was still yawning.

INTENTION / DESIRE

querer + noun = to want a thing

• Queria uma pausa. → I wanted a break.

querer + verb infinitive = to want to do

• Queria descansar. → I wanted to rest.

decidir + verb infinitive = to decide to do

• Decidi ir ao McDonald’s. → I decided to go to McDonald’s.

para + verb infinitive = in order to / to (purpose)

• Fui lá para comer. → I went there to eat.

• Trabalho à noite para adiantar coisas. → I work at night to get things done.

OPINION / EVALUATION

posso dizer que… = I can say that…

• Posso dizer que estou entusiasmada. → I can say I’m excited.

é bom / é mau + verb infinitive = it’s good/bad to…

• É bom ter trabalho. → It’s good to have work.

o grande problema é que… = the big problem is that…

ROUTINE / FREQUENCY

cerca de + number/time = around / about

• Cerca de 10 horas depois… → About 10 hours later.

WORK & MENTAL ENERGY

permitir + verb infinitive = to allow / enable

• Isto permite-me descansar o cérebro. → This allows me to rest my brain.

ajudar a + verb infinitive = to help to

• Ajuda-me a concentrar. → It helps me focus.

ser excelente para + noun = to be excellent for

• É excelente para dias de pouca energia. → It’s excellent for low-energy days.

ADDING SITUATIONS

além de + noun/verb infinitive = besides / in addition to

• Além das tarefas administrativas… → Besides the admin tasks…

Foundations of PT → Class March

🗓 Duration

12 weeks, from 2nd March to 20 May, with the possibility of extension depending on students’ needs.

🕕 Schedule

Classes will take place Mondays and Wednesdays, 4:00–5:00 pm (Portugal time).

👥 Group size

4–6 students maximum.

If all spots are filled, a new group will be opened.

🎯 Level & language

The goal is to take you from 0 to A2 level.

Classes will be conducted in Portuguese, English, and Spanish, depending on the students attending, so expect a mix of the three languages for explanations and core grammar.

📚 Materials & platform

All materials will be shared via Google Drive, and classes will be held on Zoom.

If a student misses a session, the class will be recorded and made available.

There will also be a WhatsApp group for communication, questions, and updates.

How to sign up

If you’re interested, you can sign up using this form and pay a €10 admin reservation fee.

Reservations are open until 20th february.

Reserve my spot

💰 Pricing

The full 12 week course costs €180.

You can choose to:

• Pay in full, or

• Pay monthly: €60 every 4 weeks.

Once you sign up, you’ll receive an email with the final payment link, as well as Zoom and Google Drive access details.

📌 Important note

Monthly payments are non-refundable once the month has started.

However, you will retain access for the entire month to:

• Class recordings

• Course materials (which can be downloaded)

Reserve my spot

Once you pay your reservation fee please send me an email with your whatsapp so that I can save both and add you to the group :) hello@catarinabento.studio or click the button bellow

Menu da epifania:

• Português

• Inglês

• The Speaking Club News

• Note: This week I couldn’t record the audios for the series, but later i’ll add them + the study file :)

How To Learn from Café C/ Caos

Eu percebi que apesar de gostar do meu trabalho 12h de aulas no zoom não é sustentável. Por isso agora, de alguma maneira, tenho de arranjar maneira de espalhar essas horas pelo novo dia: sexta -feira. Ao inicio, eu queria poder descansar e fazer um estilo mais lento de vida para ter flexibilidade e melhorar a minha saúde então, eu acabei a fazer dias de 12h para poder ter um dia extra de folga. Mas agora estou a ver que estou demasiado cansada e a minha saúde mental está a ir pela janela fora.

Também, com o começo das aulas de conversação e das aulas de grupo, que estou a adorar, preciso de algum tempo extra para poder rever e corrigir exercícios dos alunos. As aulas de grupo estão a ser muito fixes mas eu meti-me no desafio de fazer em inglês e espanhol, percebi que não foi a melhor idea, já que no fim de cada aula meu cérebro fica em papa e também pode ser assoberbante para o alunos. Por isso as próximas aulas serão ou só em inglês ou só em espanhol. Não ambos… Boa experiência, mas não recomendo ahaha alguns de vocês sabem do que falo porque fazem parte das minhas turmas e apesar de ser giro, mas depois de uma hora e ao fim do dia, é cansativo.

No entanto, em fevereiro as coisas vão melhorar um pouco e tenho um projeto no qual estou a trabalhar. Não vou dizer muito mais para não prometer demais. A única razão pela qual está a demorar mas é porque, no santo país de portugal, toda a burucracia demora anos ( não literal, se bem que em certos casos, sim…). Estou à espera de respostas há 3 meses e nada anda para a frente, nem para trás. Simplesmente parado. Eu detesto ter de fazer coisas que dependem de outros, porque eu fico ansiosa por ter de esperar e eu ansiosa e com café… não é uma boa figura de se ver.

Com Caos & café,

Catarina

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How To Learn from Café C/ Caos

I realized that although I like my work, 12 hours of classes on zoom is not sustainable. So now, somehow, I have to find a way to spread these hours for the new day: Friday. At first, I wanted to be able to rest and have a slower lifestyle to have flexibility and improve my health, so I ended up doing 12h days to be able to have an extra day off. But now I’m realizing that I’m too tired and my mental health is going out the window.

Also, with the beginning of conversation classes and group classes, which I’m loving, I need some extra time to be able to review and correct students’ exercises. The group classes are being very cool but I got into the challenge of doing in English and Spanish and, I realized that it was not the best idea, given that at the end of each class my brain is in mush and it can also be overwhelming for the students. That’s why the next classes will be either only in English or only in Spanish. Not both... Good experience, but I don’t recommend it ahaha some of you know what I’m talking about because you’re part of my classes and despite being cool and nice, after an hour and at the end of the day, it’s tiring.

However, in February things will improve a little and I have been working on a project. I won’t say much more so as not to promise too much. The only reason why it’s taking time but is because, in the “holy” country of Portugal, the whole bureaucracy takes years (not literal, although in certain cases, yes...). I’ve been waiting for answers for 3 months and nothing goes forward or backward. Just stagnant. I hate having to do things that depend on others, because I get anxious about having to wait and I’m anxious and with coffee... it’s not a good thing to see.

With Chaos & coffee,

Catarina

The Speaking Club news

As you have been hearing recently, I have opened The Speaking Club so that students can practice conversations and interactions with others. So if you speak portuguese (A2 onwards) and need practice this I for you.

For those who freeze and need help, I have the foundations club for you or the private tutoring → way more effective before going into the Club. We have some native like folks in there and it can be overwhelming for some so… one step at a time.

How does it work?

It’s paid per class and you sign up to the ones you want to go. According to the amount of people in the class I’ll plan activities and groups so that everyone can have a conversation. We do have space for Q&A during this time. You already have pre-booked times and dates so that you know what to count on.

Join us!

You can give it a try and join us for a class!

Foundations of PT → Class March

If you haven’t seen the new class and want to join you can check more bellow!

The Foundations Class

How’s everyone? Given the success of the past 2 classes we are opening a new class (turma) for march. Here are some of the details:

🗓 Duration

12 weeks, from 2nd March to 20 May, with the possibility of extension depending on students’ needs.

🕕 Schedule

Classes will take place Mondays and Wednesdays, 4:00–5:00 pm (Portugal time).

👥 Group size

4–6 students maximum.

If all spots are filled, a new group will be opened.

🎯 Level & language

The goal is to take you from 0 to A2 level.

Classes will be conducted in Portuguese, English, and Spanish, depending on the students attending, so expect a mix of the three languages for explanations and core grammar.

📚 Materials & platform

All materials will be shared via Google Drive, and classes will be held on Zoom.

If a student misses a session, the class will be recorded and made available.

There will also be a WhatsApp group for communication, questions, and updates.

How to sign up

If you’re interested, you can sign up using this form and pay a €10 admin reservation fee.

Reservations are open until 20th february.

Reserve my spot

💰 Pricing

The full 12 week course costs €180.

You can choose to:

• Pay in full, or

• Pay monthly: €60 every 4 weeks.

Once you sign up, you’ll receive an email with the final payment link, as well as Zoom and Google Drive access details.

📌 Important note

Monthly payments are non-refundable once the month has started.

However, you will retain access for the entire month to:

• Class recordings

• Course materials (which can be downloaded)

Reserve my spot

Once you pay your reservation fee please send me an email with your whatsapp so that I can save both and add you to the group :) hello@catarinabento.studio or click the button bellow

Email